Kaupang

Kaupang, whose name simply means market place, was a trading settlement established around 800 on a sheltered inlet of the Vestfold coast, and excavations since the 1950s have identified plots, houses, workshops and a harbour along with cemeteries and thousands of finds: coins from the Islamic world and western Europe, glass from the Rhineland, amber, soapstone and evidence of metalworking. It is the earliest known urban settlement in Norway and is often identified with the Sciringes heal of the account the trader Ohthere gave to King Alfred of Wessex, though that link is not proven. Little is visible on the ground today, since the excavations were backfilled, but the site is marked and interpreted, with reconstructions and events run in summer.

History

Kaupang was founded in the 780s on a beach by the Viksfjord, and written sources show the area as an important royal seat in the 8th and 9th centuries, with the hall of Skiringssal just inland. It was abandoned for unknown reasons in the early 10th century; it is often linked with Sciringes heal, the port Ohthere of Hålogaland visited at the end of the 9th century, though there is no firm evidence for that (Wikipedia, Kaupang).

Highlights

• The settlement area - the plots and harbour zone marked on the ground.
• The interpretation - boards and reconstructions explaining the excavations.
• The coastal setting - the sheltered inlet that made the site work.
• The summer events - Viking-age activities and guided walks in season.

When to go

June to August, when guided tours and events run and the interpretation is staffed; outside that season the site can be walked but there is nothing organised. The setting is pleasant coastal farmland.

Things to know

Almost nothing is visible above ground, since the excavations were backfilled, so this is a site for people who want to stand where something happened rather than to see remains. The finds are in museums elsewhere. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Larvik and Molen are close; the Gokstad and Oseberg mounds lie north along the Vestfold coast.

Key facts